Council approves Thousand Oaks’ 2026–27 CDBG action plan and allocations for housing rehabilitation, public services

The Thousand Oaks City Council unanimously approved the city’s 2026–27 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) action plan and the staff-recommended allocation framework for submission to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Community development analyst Karen Pon presented the draft action plan, noting that HUD confirmed the city’s 2026–27 CDBG entitlement allocation of $663,654 on April 3, 2026. Staff also reported additional prior-year funds that were available for reallocation but the transcript’s figure was inconsistent; staff said they would finalize those amounts in the submitted plan.

The recommended action plan focuses CDBG funding on housing rehabilitation and public services. Staff proposed a multifamily rehabilitation activity to benefit 72 low-income units at Bella Vista Apartments with a proposed CDBG allocation of $175,000, and single-family and mobile-home rehabilitation activities (in partnership with Habitat for Humanity and Senior Alliance for Empowerment (SAFE)) expected to benefit an estimated 25 low-income households.

Karen Pon told council the city received 15 applications (10 for public service and five for capital projects). Staff recommended four public-service awards from more than $242,000 in requests, and the plan includes funding for program administration and for the Ventura County Fair Housing Program.

Council members asked clarifying questions about year-to-year HUD allocations and about whether particular mobile-home units (for example, at Ranch Mobile Home Park) had already been selected for rehabilitation; staff said unit-level selections would occur during grant finalization and that, as of tonight, specific units had not been assigned.

“These dollars are really our line of defense against homelessness,” Council member Adam said in support of the plan. Council member Newman moved approval of item 10A with staff recommendations; the vote was 5–0.

Clarifying details: HUD’s confirmed entitlement allocation was presented as $663,654 (announced April 3). The transcript lists proposed spending lines including $175,000 for multifamily rehabilitation and referenced partnerships with Habitat for Humanity and SAFE for single-family/mobile-home rehabilitation; staff said proposed activities are expected to benefit dozens of low-income households but unit-level assignments are not yet finalized.

Ending: With council approval, the city manager (or county administrative partner where applicable) will submit the finalized 2026 CDBG action plan and grant agreement to HUD; staff will finalize line-item amounts and notify awardees once federal grant terms are confirmed.